Before the World Falls Apart
by lovablegeek
Summary: PreS60 - Harriet writes an email, and Matt finds out he didn't want to win so much after all. - MattHarriet - One shot


The clatter of laptop keys is almost enough to distract Harriet from what she's actually writing. It's a familiar sound, comforting. She can't count the number of times she's fallen asleep with Matt sitting up in bed next to her, keyboard clicking as he worked on whatever his latest project was. It was comforting, at least, when it wasn't just _annoying_.

The sound of the keys is considerably angrier now, each punch defined and a little too hard. Matt used to type like that after they fought, like he felt the need to make it clear that even though they'd stopped arguing, he was still mad. But it's her typing this time, not Matt, and he's not even here to hear it.

_Dear Matthew,_

No. That sounds stupid, on top of which, she only calls him Matthew when she thinks he's being especially cute, or she's mad at him. She certainly doesn't want to give him the impression of the former, and while she _is_ still mad at him, she'd rather he see this as a reasoned and rational decision by a mature adult.

She can almost hear Matt's voice in her head, telling her if she wanted _that_, she probably shouldn't be breaking up with him over email. Harriet ignores it and hits the delete key.

_Matt,_

Not much better, but she's coming to terms with the fact that no matter what she writes, it's going to sound mean and trite.

_I never meant for it to end this way._

Her fingers freeze momentarily on the keys. She's going to have to talk to him eventually. It's Matt, he's persistent and obsessive. But he's just had that back surgery, and he's going to be impossible to talk to when he's on painkillers. And she's _not_ going to hold off breaking up with him and go to the WGA Awards after the show tomorrow and pretend nothing's wrong.

Harriet shakes her head to clear it and focuses her gaze on the screen again, biting her lower lip as she finishes the email. The last line seems cold, and maybe intentionally hurtful, but after everything Matt's pulled in the past couple weeks - or over the course of their entire relationship - he deserves it. She still doesn't hit send, though, her finger hovering over the button.

"Harry!" The door of the dressing room bursts open, Tom poking his head in, and Harriet jumps.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to knock?"

"Uh... you have, several times. Sorry. They need you in wardrobe for... I actually don't know why."

Harriet smiles tiredly despite herself. "I'll be there in a minute."

She looks back at her screen to see the words "Message Sent" hovering above her inbox; apparently she'd accidentally hit the button when Tom came in. She takes a deep breath and closes her laptop as she gets to her feet, telling herself it's for the best.

* * *

  
I don't know if I should be leaving you alone here," Danny says from the other room - Matt's pretty sure it's the kitchen, but his perception of distance and direction is a little distorted on these painkillers they're having him take. When Danny'd come to pick him up to take him home, Matt managed to run straight into the side of Danny's car before he located the handle and actually got in.

"I'm fine!" he yells, maybe a little too loudly, as he focuses his attention on navigating safely around the bed and to his desk. If he can do that, Danny's got no reason to worry.

Just as he sits down, laptop in front of him on the desk, Danny appears in the doorway. "You could fall down. You could break your neck."

Matt twists around to look at him while the computer boots up. "I'm not gonna break my neck."

Danny tilts his head to one side, still in the doorway. Matt reflects that he's really got that ominous looming thing down, even with the concerned face. "You can't write."

"Huh?"

"You can't write like this. You shouldn't even be out of bed."

"I'm not writing, but if I were-"

"What _are_ you doing?"

"Checking my email because I've been unconscious for several hours now. As I was saying, _if I were_..." He pauses to type in his password on his computer. "If I were, I'd be absolutely fine. I'm a professional, this if what I do for a living, and-"

"You're high as a paper kite?"

Matt shrugs. "Call it inspiration."

"Yeah, that's something we want to encourage in you. Listen, I'm _still_ not sure I should leave you alone."

"I'm fine," Matt repeats. If he keeps saying that in a firm tone, maybe Danny will start listening to him eventually. Like a dog. Though Matt was never good with dogs, which may be why Danny isn't listening to him now.

'Alright, but I'm the one who's going to have to explain why I left you alone in your house like this."

"Explain what?"

"I don't know, it's you. Anything could happen."

Matt snorts and twists his chair back around to face the computer again. "If you're really that worried, you can call Harry to keep an eye on me." He pulls up his internet browser - which goes to his email automatically - and punches in his password. It seems like he doesn't _usually_ have to pay such attention to which keys he's hitting. Weird.

"Harriet's still at the studio now."

"I'll survive a couple hours alone."

Danny hovers for a minute longer, and then leaves - Matt doesn't see him go, but he can hear it as he shoves himself away from the doorframe, and his voice is a little more distant when he calls back, "Alright. But I wash my hands of it, just in case you do manage to hurt yourself."

"Great!" Matt scans his inbox. Some emails from friends wishing him luck on the WGA Awards tomorrow, and... one from Harriet. The subject line alone makes his heart drop into his stomach, and he knows it's not going to be well-wishing after the surgery.

"Danny?" he calls a minute later, and he's especially glad for the painkillers now, because this will hurt a hell of a lot more when he comes down.

"Yeah?" Danny sounds a bit distracted. Matt would wonder just what he's doing to distract him, but he doesn't care right now.

"Don't call Harry. She's not going to come."

And he can't stop staring at that last line, like a punch in the gut, and he never would have guessed Harriet could be so petty and cruel.

_Congratulations, Matthew, you've finally won the fight._

And sure, he's been waiting to hear those words since... well, since they first met, for her to see the light and come to the side of reason, and he knows that the next time they talk the fight is going to start up all over again, but... it does occur to him that if this is the cost, he didn't want to win the fight after all. 


End file.
